Mount Rainier National Parks asks for input on timed-entry reservations during summer

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The National Parks Service (NPS) is planning to implement a timed-entry reservation system at Mount Rainier's park entrances and is asking for public feedback on the plan.

The decision to add a timed-entry reservation system comes as the popularity of Mount Rainier National Park is growing. From 2008 to 2021 annual visitation rose from 1.1 million visits per year to above 1.7 million visits. Of those visits, 70% occur in the summer months between July and September.

The NPS said during these months, visitors can wait for more than an hour to get into the park at the Nisqually and White River Entrance Stations which causes congestion inside and outside of the park and leads to parking in undesignated areas.

"We’ve seen the lines to the entrance stations stretch out – in some cases over a few miles, which can certainly result in folks being delayed in their ability to enter the park and also has had an effect on the people that live outside of the park and their ability to come and go from their homes and businesses," said Teri Tucker a spokesperson with the NPS.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tripideas/mount-rainier-national-parks-asks-for-input-on-timed-entry-reservations-during-summer/ar-AA1awVTK

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1. Timed Entry Isn't A New Thing

Rocky Mountain Natl Park was using a timed entry system last year in August when Mrs PG and I drove through the park. We got to the Estes Park entrance about 1 PM and had no real trouble driving all the way through. Some of the turnoffs were almost full but we expected that on a Friday afternoon. I made our reservations online and used my senior citizen forever park pass. The weather was good, traffic was light to moderate in some areas, and the scenery was spectacular. It's always worth making time to visit RM NP.